Narrative:

About 100 mi from destination; we tuned and received the love field ATIS which was advertising high scattered clouds; 6 mi visibility and visual approachs to runway 13L and runway 13R. Just prior to reaching fingr intersection; we were cleared direct to cowboy VOR (cve) and told to expect a visual approach to runway 13L at dallas love. As we progressed toward cve; the approach controller told us to turn right to a heading of 250 degrees and that addison airport was at 2 O'clock position or 3 O'clock position and 1 mi(?). I advised the pilot in the left seat that 'addison was right off our right wing.' since we were now on a vector; I reached down to change the navigation frequencys to the ILS for runway 13L at love and just as I did; the PF said 'I have the airport.' I looked out and saw a clearing at about 11 O'clock position and a few mi. I said 'where?' he pointed at 11 O'clock position and said; 'see the runway coming into view? And there is the control tower on the far side of (behind) the runway.' I looked at the airport diagram on the approach plate and it looked as though both the runway orientation and the tower position were correct for love field. We then reported the airport in sight to approach. The controller then cleared us for a visual approach and told us to contact the tower. Since the tower frequency was already tuned in the comrdo; I just pushed the xfer button and advised the dallas love tower that we were 'with you on a left base for runway 13L.' the tower either advised us to continue or maybe even cleared to land so we lowered the gear and widened out slightly so we could square our turn to final. Just as I said '3 green' the tower called and said; 'aircraft X; you are headed toward dfw...turn left heading 160 degrees.' we responded immediately with 'roger; left to 160; aircraft X' as the PF commenced a turn and I set the heading bug to 160 degrees. As we were turning through approximately 180 degrees; the tower called again and told us to turn further left to a heading of 130 degrees; vector to 13L at love field; and that we had traffic at 11-12 O'clock position at an altitude about 1000 ft above us that was going to runway 13R. I looked up; saw an airliner at that position; and advised 'traffic in sight.' love tower then advised us to 'maintain visual separation with that traffic; cleared to land on runway 13L.' through this entire event; the tower controller was very professional and unexcited about the whole thing; so as we landed on and cleared runway 13L and were handed off to ground control; I thanked him 'very much' for his help. We called ground and taxied to the FBO. After a few mins inside the FBO; I received a call from love tower asking that I call dfw TRACON. On calling; I was informed that there was a possible separation problem at dfw and that the quality assurance man was pulling the tapes to make the determination. I spoke with the quality assurance man later that day and was told that we were (when closest) about 1.38 mi horizontally and 400 ft vertically from an MD80 on final to a different runway at dfw. We never saw the other aircraft; but when we were the closest to that aircraft we would have already been in a steep left turn to the 160 degree heading and it would have been out the right side of the aircraft and 400 ft below us at that time (impossible to see). Needless to say; I was appalled to learn this information. Later that day we tried to piece together exactly what had happened and determined that at the time we were told that love field was at 10 O'clock or 11 O'clock position (whichever was the case) dfw was actually at about 11 O'clock position and love field was at approximately 9 O'clock position or according to our passenger at 8 O'clock position. With all of the navaids that are available; one of us in the cockpit should probably have realized that we were headed to the wrong airport; but it all happened within a couple of mins during the busiest regime of flight. As to human factors; we had a 6:00 am. Takeoff; but I had a good night's sleep and had not consumed alcohol of any nature for at least several days prior to this event.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CE560 FLT CREW MAKES A VISUAL APCH TO THE WRONG ARPT; CTLR CORRECTS THEM.

Narrative: ABOUT 100 MI FROM DEST; WE TUNED AND RECEIVED THE LOVE FIELD ATIS WHICH WAS ADVERTISING HIGH SCATTERED CLOUDS; 6 MI VISIBILITY AND VISUAL APCHS TO RWY 13L AND RWY 13R. JUST PRIOR TO REACHING FINGR INTXN; WE WERE CLRED DIRECT TO COWBOY VOR (CVE) AND TOLD TO EXPECT A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 13L AT DALLAS LOVE. AS WE PROGRESSED TOWARD CVE; THE APCH CTLR TOLD US TO TURN R TO A HDG OF 250 DEGS AND THAT ADDISON ARPT WAS AT 2 O'CLOCK POS OR 3 O'CLOCK POS AND 1 MI(?). I ADVISED THE PLT IN THE L SEAT THAT 'ADDISON WAS RIGHT OFF OUR R WING.' SINCE WE WERE NOW ON A VECTOR; I REACHED DOWN TO CHANGE THE NAV FREQS TO THE ILS FOR RWY 13L AT LOVE AND JUST AS I DID; THE PF SAID 'I HAVE THE ARPT.' I LOOKED OUT AND SAW A CLRING AT ABOUT 11 O'CLOCK POS AND A FEW MI. I SAID 'WHERE?' HE POINTED AT 11 O'CLOCK POS AND SAID; 'SEE THE RWY COMING INTO VIEW? AND THERE IS THE CTL TWR ON THE FAR SIDE OF (BEHIND) THE RWY.' I LOOKED AT THE ARPT DIAGRAM ON THE APCH PLATE AND IT LOOKED AS THOUGH BOTH THE RWY ORIENTATION AND THE TWR POS WERE CORRECT FOR LOVE FIELD. WE THEN RPTED THE ARPT IN SIGHT TO APCH. THE CTLR THEN CLRED US FOR A VISUAL APCH AND TOLD US TO CONTACT THE TWR. SINCE THE TWR FREQ WAS ALREADY TUNED IN THE COMRDO; I JUST PUSHED THE XFER BUTTON AND ADVISED THE DALLAS LOVE TWR THAT WE WERE 'WITH YOU ON A L BASE FOR RWY 13L.' THE TWR EITHER ADVISED US TO CONTINUE OR MAYBE EVEN CLRED TO LAND SO WE LOWERED THE GEAR AND WIDENED OUT SLIGHTLY SO WE COULD SQUARE OUR TURN TO FINAL. JUST AS I SAID '3 GREEN' THE TWR CALLED AND SAID; 'ACFT X; YOU ARE HEADED TOWARD DFW...TURN L HDG 160 DEGS.' WE RESPONDED IMMEDIATELY WITH 'ROGER; L TO 160; ACFT X' AS THE PF COMMENCED A TURN AND I SET THE HDG BUG TO 160 DEGS. AS WE WERE TURNING THROUGH APPROX 180 DEGS; THE TWR CALLED AGAIN AND TOLD US TO TURN FURTHER L TO A HDG OF 130 DEGS; VECTOR TO 13L AT LOVE FIELD; AND THAT WE HAD TFC AT 11-12 O'CLOCK POS AT AN ALT ABOUT 1000 FT ABOVE US THAT WAS GOING TO RWY 13R. I LOOKED UP; SAW AN AIRLINER AT THAT POS; AND ADVISED 'TFC IN SIGHT.' LOVE TWR THEN ADVISED US TO 'MAINTAIN VISUAL SEPARATION WITH THAT TFC; CLRED TO LAND ON RWY 13L.' THROUGH THIS ENTIRE EVENT; THE TWR CTLR WAS VERY PROFESSIONAL AND UNEXCITED ABOUT THE WHOLE THING; SO AS WE LANDED ON AND CLRED RWY 13L AND WERE HANDED OFF TO GND CTL; I THANKED HIM 'VERY MUCH' FOR HIS HELP. WE CALLED GND AND TAXIED TO THE FBO. AFTER A FEW MINS INSIDE THE FBO; I RECEIVED A CALL FROM LOVE TWR ASKING THAT I CALL DFW TRACON. ON CALLING; I WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A POSSIBLE SEPARATION PROB AT DFW AND THAT THE QUALITY ASSURANCE MAN WAS PULLING THE TAPES TO MAKE THE DETERMINATION. I SPOKE WITH THE QUALITY ASSURANCE MAN LATER THAT DAY AND WAS TOLD THAT WE WERE (WHEN CLOSEST) ABOUT 1.38 MI HORIZLY AND 400 FT VERTLY FROM AN MD80 ON FINAL TO A DIFFERENT RWY AT DFW. WE NEVER SAW THE OTHER ACFT; BUT WHEN WE WERE THE CLOSEST TO THAT ACFT WE WOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN IN A STEEP L TURN TO THE 160 DEG HDG AND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN OUT THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT AND 400 FT BELOW US AT THAT TIME (IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE). NEEDLESS TO SAY; I WAS APPALLED TO LEARN THIS INFO. LATER THAT DAY WE TRIED TO PIECE TOGETHER EXACTLY WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND DETERMINED THAT AT THE TIME WE WERE TOLD THAT LOVE FIELD WAS AT 10 O'CLOCK OR 11 O'CLOCK POS (WHICHEVER WAS THE CASE) DFW WAS ACTUALLY AT ABOUT 11 O'CLOCK POS AND LOVE FIELD WAS AT APPROX 9 O'CLOCK POS OR ACCORDING TO OUR PAX AT 8 O'CLOCK POS. WITH ALL OF THE NAVAIDS THAT ARE AVAILABLE; ONE OF US IN THE COCKPIT SHOULD PROBABLY HAVE REALIZED THAT WE WERE HEADED TO THE WRONG ARPT; BUT IT ALL HAPPENED WITHIN A COUPLE OF MINS DURING THE BUSIEST REGIME OF FLT. AS TO HUMAN FACTORS; WE HAD A 6:00 AM. TKOF; BUT I HAD A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP AND HAD NOT CONSUMED ALCOHOL OF ANY NATURE FOR AT LEAST SEVERAL DAYS PRIOR TO THIS EVENT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.